Manco & Manco pizzeria closing locations after employees test positive for COVID-19

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A popular Jersey Shore pizzeria will be shutting down several locations locations Tuesday after three employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Manco & Manco Pizza is closing all its Ocean City stores and then suspending the sale of slices of starting Wednesday. Somers Point locations are not impacted.

In a statement posted to social media late Monday night, the Manco family said two of the employees who tested positive for coronavirus were asymptomatic.

The three employees are in self-quarantine for 14 days and will be tested before returning to work. The family said all employees who worked with the affected staff members have been required to get tested prior to returning to work.

"We have been in touch with the Cape May County Board of Health, and although we are not mandated to close, we are shutting down our boardwalk operations July 14 to have the locations professionally sanitized by BioBlast Inc.," the family said.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order Wednesday mandating masks or face coverings outdoors when social distancing is not possible.

The boardwalk pizza shops will reopen on Wednesday with existing safety rules in place and added precautions.

The Manco family said employees will continue to wear masks, as well as sanitize their hands and workstations regularly. Daily temperature checks of all workers will also continue. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees will be excused from work and will return only after quarantining for 14 days or getting a negative test result.

Manco & Manco will start using UV-C light technology to "frequently sanitize high-touch areas such as credit card terminals and our touch screen tablets and computers."

They are also expanding the use of safety seals for delivery and pick-up pizza pies. They had only been using the seals on delivery pizza pies.

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Then, there is one more change coming to the boardwalk staple.

"As an added precaution, to limit employee-food contact, we will be temporary suspending pizza slice sales," the Manco family said.

Only whole pizzas will be available at the Ocean City locations until further notice, the family said.

Al Pacino stops at Manco & Manco Pizza. Tamala Edwards reports during Action News Mornings on August 1, 2018.

Manco & Manco's Somer Point shop remains open on Tuesday for delivery and pick-up. The family said BioBlast Inc. will also sanitize this location.

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